


Rarepair Spring Compilation

by Greengargouille



Category: Assassination Classroom
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-06-19
Packaged: 2018-10-23 12:03:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10718988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greengargouille/pseuds/Greengargouille
Summary: One shots made during the Ankyou Rarepair Week event of Spring 2017.Day 1 - Rain (Hazama/Kurahashi)Day 2 - Loss (Okano & Kimura)Day 5 - Truth (Mimura Kouki/Sugaya Sosuke)





	1. Day 1 - Rain

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone ! The second Rarepair week of the fandom had just started, with **Rain** as the first prompt ! It's not obligatory to participate everyday, so if you're interested, it's not too late to go check on it ! As for me... Well, I hope I will be able to complete every prompt...

Hazama never was one to like the sun. Not only her skin burned easily, the dry weather made her hair curl up into a knotty mess her mother had many times, during childhood, tried to tame with rough brush strokes that left a painful impression on her. Rain was better. Rain made her hair wet, straightened them and stuck them to her face like a ghost just released from her well. She liked that appearance much better.

But her main problem with the sun have always been how she was forced to indulge her mother’s fantasies. Picnic, walk in the wood... With the rays of sun came maternal ideas straight from a fairy tale, and the girl would only be able to follow those plans. Pointing out the gap between those romanticized delusions and reality would only make her mother scream ; no one was allowed to shatter the dreamy illusion in which she lived, or there would be dire consequences. It was all very stressful, and for naught too, because ultimately she would get irritated by ants or dirt or who know what, and her husband and daughter would would get the short end of her low mood.

There wasn’t much she could do about the sun, hanging the _teru teru bōzu_ upside down or recite spells meant to bring out the rain. She could, however, try her best to avoid her mother, mostly by locking herself in the library or following the idiots from her gang in whatever stupid idea they’ve got.

However, neither of those things prepared her for an invitation from Kurahashi. Which explained how, despite hating physical effort and staying outside whenever unecessary, the gloomy girl ended up walking in the woods near her school, sweaty from the hot yet humid summer weather accompanying a sky cloudy since days, yet refused to rain and relieve everyone. Mother Nature truly was someone terrible.

To be fair, Hazama was indebted to Kurahashi. No longer than a week ago, her newly acquired pet tarantula happened to lay eggs, something its precedent owner had somehow forgotten to warn her about. How was she supposed to guess that when its usual mating season didn’t even start, and in which conditions was it kept for such an event to happen ? Her usual composure had vanished on the moment, and it was thanks to Ritsu’s idea of contacting their animal-loving comrade that she was able to get out of this mess.

Outside of this incident, Hazama hadn’t talked much to Kurahashi. They were sitting at opposite ends of the class and frequented different groups, which left not much occasions to befriend each other, and Hazama liked it like that. If she were to be honest, the other girl made her uneasy.

She had a pretty good instinct for the darkness humans kept in their hearts. Negative emotions. Greed. Happiness at making someone suffer. Those things, Hazama always have been good at guessing them. She was pretty proud of it, in fact, how she could point out the exact things that would depress a specific person or make them show their true face. She liked awful people because she could be venomous without restraint around them, and she prefered to surround herself with the ones with a bad reputations, that would accept her as she was, far from the pretty princess her mother had tried to turn her into.

Kurahashi was a strange case, for Hazama couldn’t see this kind of darkness in her. Rather, whenever she was around, it was as if the bad feelings evaporated into the air, as if her sole presence alleviated people from their worries. She could repeat the sleazy words she heard the guys secretly say with the same innocent smile as usual. It left Hazama speechless. Unable to think of how she should speak to her or to stand next to such a bright person. Kurahashi have been described by their classmates as being a ray of sunshine, and in that they were surely right, because Hazama had a hard time handling her.

That didn’t mean she disliked the girl. Their times together were rather awkward, but she liked listening to her peppy talk, and she was grateful for her help in dealing with her pet’s many children. Plus, she took a vicious pleasure in imagining what would be her mother’s reaction if she heard that the girl she complimented when Hazama brought her home - _“So charming and sweet, why can’t you be more like her ?”_ \- was dragging her to go seek her beetle baits.

“I’m glad you came along.” Kurahashi commented while walking. If it weren’t for Karasuma’s training, Hazama would have a hard time following her while conversing casually, but she doubted her comrade would have needed it in the first place to move around with so much ease. She seemed like an outdoor person. “With the summer vacations, I didn’t know who to call, but then I remember you mentioning you were there till the end of the month, and I thought, _‘If it’s Hazama-chan she will surely come !’_.”

This could seems like the girl had no idea of her comrade’s personality. Hazama choose to rather see it as her admitting she knew the gloomy student would be unwilling to refuse her something after her help. Kurahashi was, after all, one of the best students of Irina-sensei ; under her carefree air, there would be no way she wasn’t observant enough to not notice the other girl’s daily attitude, and she knew how to manipulate people in subtle ways. Hazama had no chance to win against her, as usual.

“Why do you need someone, though ? I don’t think I can help you in any way.  
-Because it’s a fun activity to do together ! Ah, don’t tell me, you don’t dislike beetles, do you ?” she sounded so surprised, as if the thought only just occurred to her.  
“I don’t dislike them, but I don’t have particular feelings about them either. I like how they look, though.  
-Yes, aren’t they adorable ?” This wasn’t exactly the word Hazama would have used, no.  
“I was more thinking in the lines of ‘elegant’.  
-Ah, I see what you mean ! They would make a good subject for jewelry, wouldn’t they ?  
-Like the scarab of ancient Egypt ?  
-Exactly !” Kurahashi pondered something for an instant, then asked “Do you like ancient Egypt, Hazama-chan ?  
-I’m more interested in their curses, but I’ve read about some of their gods. Isn’t there supposed to be a scarab beetle rolling the Sun around ? Sounds like it could suit you.  
-Why, thank you !”

The girl’s approval made Hazama conscious of what she had just said, leaving her feeling slightly awkward, through her face only showed composure. She hadn’t even meant it as a compliment. Casual compliments aren’t her style, except as thinly veiled insults. Was it that Kurahashi was so used to be called ‘sunny’ that she thought it was probably something similar ? Maybe not. She did seems the kind who would actually appreciate being compared to a bug.

“It’s too bad there isn’t a lot of stories about beetles. I like every insect, but I have a soft spot for them.  
-I think there’s one in North America. They helped the natives in making the rain falls.” She didn’t know the details, but that one story had peeked her interest enough to remember it.  
“Oh, that’s interesting ! It would be nice if the rain would fall here, too, the clouds accumulate but won’t release anything. If we find beetles, maybe we should ask them if they know a song or two for that !” While she said that lightly, Kurahashi then hummed a song to herself, as if really considering this eventuality.

Hazama envied her, if only for a bit. The way she acted as if those silly stories would have no impact on her - no, it was more than likely the case. If the rain was to fall, they would be soaked, but that would be far from the end of the world. If the clouds would dissipate and let the sun shine even brighter, they might get sunburns, but all kinds of bugs would probably come out, maybe even unusual ones. The weather didn’t matter much for Kurahashi’s enjoyment of the situation.

It was sort of cute. And also something Hazama was unable to do. For a fourteen year old, it wasn’t unusual to have strong opinions on insignifiant subjects, but she thought she was mature enough to be above this. Yet. She couldn’t forget that feeling she got as a younger child, buried in incantation books and whispering words she forced herself to pretend she didn’t believe in. That tiny sparkle of hope that, maybe, with enough efforts, she could make the rain fall on the garden and her mother would be forced to cancel the afternoon tea she spent days organizing. Maybe, if she repeated the words enough times, she wouldn’t have to sit among all those adults and look at sweets she wouldn’t be allowed to eat, because her food and health advisor of a mother wanted her to stay thin and pretty.

Hazama was unable of letting go of her bitterness from those memories, nor did she wished to. Kurahashi could be as happy as she wanted to be, the pleasure of seeing rain fall down on people’s expectations suited her much more.

Still. As water droplets descending from the sky minutes after their conversation, she felt a tad jealous to see the girl’s lighthearted humming being rewarded.

“You must be kidding me...  
-Ah, I know where to shelter ourselves ! Quick !”

A hand took Hazama’s, warm from the summer heat. She had no time to react, as she was suddenly pulled forward.

She hated running, especially in the woods where the ground was uneven and her feet could potentially be caught in anything, but she wasn’t given the leisure to choose her pace. The air was supposed to get chillier, but as they arrived at their goal, she felt even warmer from the race.

The place Kurahashi was thinking about was small. A cavity in the rockier part of a slope, not even a cave. Was there a cave on this mountain ? There must be one. It would be more comfortable than being forced to sit down, the hole not tall enough to permit standing up, nor big enough to let them have much personal space between them.

After catching her breath a few minutes, tempting the ignore how close the other girl was to her - she could almost feel her against her skin, soft and lukewarm-, Hazama finally told her.

“I think that’s confirm it. You’re really a beetle.  
-No way !” Kurahashi laughed at the suggestion.  
“You seems happy, given our current situation.  
-Well, it was really time for rain to fall. And it makes me kinda glad you came, since else I would have to wait alone.  
-...It’s true that the rain is refreshing.”

She wasn’t sure how to interpret the second sentence. Kurahashi just wanted to say she would be bored without someone there. It could have been anyone else. But she still felt a tiny bit happy at those words.

That... bothered her. She wasn’t even sure why. She wanted to ignore this, to respond casually with a snicker. She used a low, supposedly menacing voice. It came out more nervous than she wanted.

“You know, though, I could do _terrible things_ to you just to distract myself, are you sure you’re glad that I’m here ?  
-Hm ? What _could_ you do, I wonder ?”

Kurahashi turned her head to face her comrade, a smile on her lips.

“If it was Rio-chan or one of the boys, it would probably be something sleazy, but that would be too boring from your part... You always get interesting ideas, don’t you ? I want to hear all about them~"

That’s right, Hazama had always been clever when it came to this kind of things. Always finding the most unexpected words to bully someone verbally, or methods to scare them without brute force. Her reputation as a witch was earned honestly.

Yet, when Kurahashi approached her face, her mind was empty.

It really made her feel uneasy to be so close. Her face was so bright, after all. Her arm so warm against her own.

“If you’re not going to do anything, maybe you won’t mind if I act first, then ?”

Aah, that wasn’t good, that wasn’t good at all. This was precisely a reason why Kurahashi made her feel apprehensive. The way she would get so familiar that Hazama couldn’t keep her coolness, nor find any way to push her back -no spiderweb can resist to the beetle’s will after all. The way that made her not even sure she actually wanted to keep her distance with this ridiculously cute and happy girl.

 

...If only for letting this moment exist. Hazama was glad it rained this time.


	2. Day 2 - Loss

“Ah. It’s a loss again.”  


Okano looked at the stick of her popsicle. The remaining bits of soda flavored ice were starting to melt on her finger, already as sticky as the shirt on her back full of sweat. But, no matter how much she blinked, the message of ‘It’s an hit !’ refused to appear. Her strength of will won’t change anything ; it was, definitely, absolutely a losing stick. She sighed and leaned on the barrier of the park she and her comrade stopped at. The metal was warm against her skin.

“What did you get, Kimura ?  
-Wait a minute, I’m still eating it.  
-Aaarg, you’re so slow !”

When summer vacations started, Karasuma-sensei told everyone in the class to try to exercise each day. Due to family obligations, most of them were travelling across the country, making common training sessions impossible. Even so, they couldn’t afford to lose the muscles they so tediously earned during the beginning of their school year ; they all had to find ways to stay in shape during the holidays.

It went double for the ones like Okano and Kimura, whose strong point were their physical abilities. And so, since neither of them went anywhere, they started to run together in the morning.

Kimura already had such healthy habits from back when he was in the track club. But, ever since he went into class E, he felt a sense of unease each time he crossed way with one of his former comrades while running alone. As for Okano... She just wasn’t a morning person as long as she didn’t have any obligations, nor did she liked to run in the evening when employees went back home from work. Needless to say, exercising outside when the sun was at its peak was a very, very bad idea during summer days.

So, since their abilities were similar, they had started to run together. They already got along fine during the PE lessons, and it couldn’t be worse than prolonged contact with their families anyways. Would they had guessed, one year ago, that their home would become such an uncomfortable place ?

Probably not. But hey, at least they got a chance to hit the jackpot killing their teacher. Even if they probably have more luck trying to win a free ice candy stick than to assassinate the tentacled creature.

“It’s a loss for me too.”

Kimura always ate his popsicle slower. _‘My head hurts if I eat frozen things too fast’_ , he said once when she commented on how such a fast runner could be so slow. Though she wondered if he just didn’t care much about the result ; he was one to eat the borders first, carefully symmetrical as to make sure no part would end up falling. No risk taken. Yet Okano found it incredibly frustrating, having to wait for the answer instead of immediately biting the whole head to see the message on the wooden stick.

“How many days as it been since we ate _Gari Gari Kun_ after running ? It can’t be possible to lose so many consecutive days !  
-Why do you care so much about winning, anyways ?  
-Why don’t _you_ ?”

They were both competitive people, she had thought. It seemed only normal for her that he would want victory too.

“We would have to go back to the store to exchange the stick for the free ice cream, and I don’t wanna walk more than we can in that weather.” By the time they stopped their daily exercise, the sunrays already started to warm everything. She could understand that. “Plus, I easily get stomach aches when I eat too much ice cream. And I would get scolded if I can’t eat lunch because I stuffed myself with sweets.  
-Eeeh, you have a small stomach. That’s why you’re among the smallest boys.  
-You can speak, you’re barely bigger than Kayano.  
-But at least I try ! Anyways, what are those arguments ? Isn’t victory in itself enough for you ?  
-No ?” Kimura sighed. “I... don’t really understand it, to be honest.  
-Understand what ? Winning ?” Okano furrowed an eyebrow. “You already won competitions before, didn’t you ?  
-That’s different. It’s proving that your capacities -that your _efforts_ \- are better than everyone else. Winning by luck, and just for the sake of winning, it feels like that lacks... how to say it...  
-Justice ?  
-...Yes.” 

The girl wanted to laugh at her friend’s lack of appreciation for the word. She knew it was unfair to tease him about that, and so decided to let the cicadas’ cries and the laughter of some children playing near fill the sudden silence of the conversation.

It might be petty of her, but she liked winning over those kind of silly things. Maybe she got too heated during card games, or acted as a sore loser sometimes, but she appreciated victory nonetheless. Even that time in first year when a senior got angry at how well she did in competition, when she herself couldn’t get any prize despite it being her last year at the club. A loss was tasteless ; victory was sweet even with the sourness of her fellow comrades hating her for it.

“...Hey.” She interpellated Kimura, his stick stuck in his mouth despite now being free from the cold treat. “Let’s have a race. First one at the back of the hill wins.  
-What ? Why ?  
-Because I’m frustrated from losing. You said you were okay if it wasn’t luck, right ?  
-That’s not what I meant... Oh, well, why not.”

He normally would put up more of a debate, but the restlessness from those heated days made him sluggish when it came to arguing. They both know it wasn’t a bright idea, running under this weather. But both had those impulsive tendencies that made them act first and think later. That’s one flaw she liked sharing with Kimura. It got them into trouble, but she never felt childish by his side, and they also got their share of fun.

Okano didn’t let him much time to prepare. He had longer legs and was faster than her ; she could beat him fairly in free running, her agility among the stones and trees compensating the gap in their speed. On a flat road, though ? It would be unlikely for her to be first without giving herself an advantage. No, even like this... It would be harsh. But she liked a challenge. It made victory all that much sweeter.

She didn’t have the leisure to look behind her to watch over her adversary. Every distraction could make her lose a few seconds, that much she learned when timing herself as she trained for assassination attempts. But she could hear it. That sound of footsteps hitting the asphalt. Even if it got closer and closer, she couldn’t help smiling. Her heart was pounding and she was almost out of breath trying to keep the lead, but she felt excited.  
  
Compared to everyone in the class, it was the kind of thrill only the two of them could share.

* * *

“...Aah... So... It’s a loss... after all...”

Breathing heavily between her words, Okano sprawled over a bench. She should have known it was impossible. Kimura really was the fastest runner of the class -and easily one of the best of the school. Even her would have expected that result, had she thought a bit more about it -but what would be the point of all that if it wasn’t spontaneous, anyways ?

She knew him too well to think he would run half-heartedly or let her win because she was frustrated. In that, they had similar personalities.

Maybe he was right about luck against abilities. She liked winning, but if she had to lose, she preferred for the winner to be better than her, in hope she could surpass them next time.

...It was still irritating, though.

“Hey, let me buy you a drink.” Kimura suddenly asked, searching in his pocket for some money.  
“What, even if I lost ?  
-It’s not about losing or winning. I want to do something nice for you.” He counted the pieces in his hand, looking at the prices on the vending machine near the bench. “Plus, you paid for my ice candy a bunch of times.”

As far as Okano could remember, they had alternated who paid pretty equally. The offer was still pretty tempting, though.

“Okay, then, but you get to drink a few sips of it.  
-What ? You sure you want to share a bottle ?  
-What’s so wrong about it ?” She furrowed her eyebrows. “Is it about indirect kiss ?”

Was it something to get worried over, really ? Maybe, though, for girls her age. Sometimes it went over her head. It even made other people laugh. She was pretty sure in such a situation, someone like Maehara would tell her _‘Wow, Okano, you’re such a dude sometimes !’_. The idea hurt a little.

“N-no ! If you’re fine with it then I’m fine too !” 

Even saying that, Kimura had his cheeks taking a slight pink color. He was totally thinking about it, was he. But, somehow... his reaction put her at ease. He was always good at this. Making her comfortable.

Even this drink, too, in the end. She was obvious to many things, but even her could tell it was a gesture to cheer up her mood. Maybe even an excuse for winning the race instead of her.

He... was truly a good friend wasn’t he.

“Eh, whatever. Do they have melon cream soda ?”

She didn’t care that much about the flavor, honestly.

She was just happy she got to try how sweet defeat could taste.


	3. Day 5 - Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It seems like I forgot to crosspost my last text from the event here, haha. Would be a shame, given it's my favorite pairing.

It all started, like a lot of dumb ideas, with Nakamura. **  
**

Well, no. It all started with Fuwa, or to be precise, Fuwa and her brother. To celebrate the anime adaptation of one of their favorite mangas, a special limited edition drink had been released - some kind of weird soda, with an exclusive illustration randomly chosen among 5 different for each pack of 3 cans. Of course, as true fans, they had to collect all of them. But, as the girl then explained to Sugaya, a terrible surprise awaited them once they found themselves surrounded by cans, the precious pictures finally all reunited.

Those drinks tasted _terrible_.

It was then that Nakamura came in the equation. Because Sugaya had been hanging around Mimura’s desk when Fuwa entered in the class and started the conversation with him, the blonde girl have been able to hear everything, and gladly intruded the conversation with an idea as fun as it was terrible.

_“You know, ever since Bitch-sensei told us about it, I always wanted to try playing ‘Never had I ever’.”_

The organisation of it have been surprisingly fast. Kurahashi, whose desk was near the group, jumped on the idea, which made a total of three girls, so of course Okajima would try to butt in. Mimura kept saying it was a bad idea, yet somehow didn’t try very hard to get out of this - which was... very much like him, actually - like those times when he loudly complained at the erotic magazines Okajima put right under their nose, but never looked away. And, well, Sugaya decided to follow along for the game, since he didn’t have anything programmed for this Saturday afternoon ; those usually ended in an unplanned trip to an exhibit with Mimura, and without the boy around, this wouldn’t be nearly as exciting.

That’s how the 6 of them ended up sitting in circle on the floor in Fuwa’s room, each having in front of them a glass full of a blue soda of suspicious flavor instead of the required alcohol. 

“Never had I ever...” The owner of the room pondered the rest of her sentence a few instants, her eyes drifting along the shelves filled to the brim with manga and figurines, before having an epiphany. “...collided with a pretty boy or girl who turned out to be a mysterious transfer student.”

Strangely enough, no one raised their glass.

“...No one ?” Fuwa winced as she emptied her own. “Why is everyone’s life so boring ?  
-No, I think you just have very weird standards.” Mimura replied.  
“We’re a class of government approved assassins whose target is a giant yellow octopus able to move at Mach 20, target who happens to be our teacher. I think I’m allowed to have standards. Besides,” she continued on a lower tone, “we’re in a fanfiction, who knows what could happens.”

As usual, nobody understood what she was mumbling about. It’s been like this every time it was her turn - using out-of-left-field ideas she seemed to consider perfectly normal, and ending up disappointed. Still living in her own world.

After a minute, to make sure everyone was listening, Mimura continued, with careful enunciation. He spent the game so far trying to ask interesting questions, while wary of things that could potentially end with his embarrassment. This was not an easy game for him, who wanted to stay honest yet not attracting the attention of the others on some things he might have potentially done. 

“Never had I ever thought about what would I do if I was a ghost.  
-Eh, not bad.” Nakamura smiled as she took her glass along with the others around her. “How about we add a new rule : when everyone drink, it’s just like when only one person end up drinking, we all have to explain in details.  
-Sugaya-kun didn’t drink for this one, though.” Fuwa responded, ever the one to notice those details.  
“What- come on, Sugaya, you can’t be serious !  
-Sugayan is a cheater~" Kurahashi playfully nodded along, as if she herself didn’t jump on every loophole she could find.  
“Sorry to have never considered becoming a ghost...”

The artist was, to be honest, a bit annoyed the others doubted him. It’s not that he never did anything stupid or awkward ; he had plenty of examples where his lack of thinking about the consequences of his acts got him in trouble. However, his comrades had very particular ideas of what could be juicy material worth asking. He was probably the least perverted boy of the class, making him unconcerned by most of Okajima’s statements. And the stupid things Nakamura asked - _‘ever tried smoking’, ‘ever burned your homework’_... weren’t his style. Or anyone, for some of those - he strongly suspected her to ask those only for herself to brag about it. He couldn’t be quite sure, for she also was the kind to sabotage herself if that meant she could learn some blackmail-worthy informations on her friends. And then there were Kurahashi’s statements, which was a mixed bag of lighthearted questions alongside the ones made specifically to drag someone -on that Sugaya still anxiously waited for one that would concern him, but for now she preferred her other victims.

As for his own questions, one could say he played safe. He didn’t want to end like Fuwa, having to drink because nobody had ever done anything she asked, but he couldn’t quite grasp how to make the game interesting for everyone -sleazy statements really weren’t to his tastes.

“Never had I ever had full marks in an exam.”

This was the easy way out - he was a terrible student, on par with Terasaka, so it came quite naturally. And if Mimura wasn’t drinking to this one, as a good student but one that apparently had missed the perfect 100 by a few points quite often in his first years, according to him... Well, there was still one person that could not escape this one.

“Wait a minute... are you targeting me ?” Nakamura almost sounded offended, but this was lost in her gleeful smile. “Fine, the war is on, don’t expect me to go easy on you any more !” After a few instants, she quickly added. “No statements about love life, though. I hate those.”

Kurahashi burst out in laughter. “Rio-chan, hating on love affairs ? That’s a first !” The blonde grimaced.  
“I’m serious. Like, I might have meddled with a few of my comrades’ crushes now and then, but that’s nowhere near the image some of you seem to have from me. Plus, I only teased them around people who already knew about their feelings. Forcing someone to confess in front of everyone like that feels... I dunno, _off_.  
-That,” Okajima replied, “seems like a load of bullshit. I think you just don’t want people to ask you if you got a crush. Who was it that Korosensei paired you with during the island trial ? Wasn’t it Sugaya ?” He looked at his friend, raising a brow. “Is it why you’re targeting her ? Is it some kind of lover’s teasing ?  
-What ? No !  
-I’m on Nakamura’s side on this one.” said Fuwa. “In this kind of ask game, there’s a 100 percent chance that someone in the group have a unrequited crush on someone else.  
-Oh, like in shoujo mangas, you mean ?” Kurahashi seemed intrigued.  
“Yes, exactly. And that will make everyone awkward.  
-Hm... That’s suspicious, that you’re pointing that out. Don’t tell me-” Okajima gasped “both of you are in love with Sugaya ?! Why him and not me ? That’s _so not_ fair !  
-I’m _not_ in love.”  Fuwa and Nakamura said this in unison.  
“Awwn, don’t worry, Oka-chin, I’m sure even a sleazebag like you can met their soulmate !” Meanwhile, Kurahashi was more amused than anything by the whole case.  
“Ah, whatever. Let’s continue the game, if you’re all like that. Whose turn it was ? Mine ?”

As he realised this, Okajima’s lips slowly turned into a smile that announced nothing good.

This, Sugaya realised, made him slightly worried.

Ever since they started the game, the pervy student kept insisting on how this was the kind of game on which you should absolutely never, ever lie. If one lied on this, they would attract bad luck on them, or be consumed of guilt, or other grandiloquent reaction - anything that could push the others to say the truth, which they assured they were already doing. Well, maybe not Kurahashi, it was hard to tell for her. Of course, the only reason Okajima was so adamant on this point was so he could then say the most shameless statement for them to drink on. 

But, after this conversation, Sugaya was pretty sure the guy had another idea in mind. An idea he really didn’t like.

The whole discussion of whether one of the girls could actually love him felt... annoying, to be honest. As if his own opinion on the subject was taken for granted, or that the others didn’t care much about that side. He hated being ignored.

It’s not like he was against the idea of falling in love. He had pondered about that ever since he entered junior high - listening to conversations in the locker room during PE, or some of the male students excitedly talking about the chest of some new idol. This was something he never understood, and it made him spend hours thinking about whether he had any interest in girls - or anybody, really. But, ever since the summer trip class E obtained as a reward, he came to grasp things under another perspective. The way Irina talked about seducing people and herself falling in love, it made him felt warm in the chest and tainted his cheeks in a pinkish color. Romance, as he understood, didn’t necessarily had to be paired with more lustful thoughts. Getting close and affectionate with someone, doing things in couples... those ideas were actually tempting.

But, those two girls, he just couldn’t see himself with them. He liked them, the same way he liked everyone in the class, comrades of similar experiences with who chatting was fun. Peeking at the latest Weekly Shonen Jump with Fuwa while attempting to make her interested in the art magazines he gave her, this was fun. Listening to songs Nakamura choose and singing them with her, before she explained with a grin what exactly the lyrics were talking about, this was... embarrassing, but fun too. Imagining going to museums with either of them, having one sit against him to have a closer look at what he was drawing, being alone in his room with one of the girls, only the two of them, that felt more awkward than anything. He just couldn’t see that happen, yet no one was considering his opinion.

That’s why he felt pretty irritated at Okajima when the boy finally said his statement.

“Never had I ever fell in love with Sugaya.”

At least he could comfort himself knowing that none of the girl raised their glass to their lips.

“Sorry, Sugayan, seems like you aren’t popular enough !” The silence was easen up with Kurahashi’s intervention, and they all relaxed a bit.  
“You girls really aren’t lying, are you ?  
-Dude, who the hell would lie during the game ?” Nakamura replied while rolling her eyes at Okajima. “You said so yourself, that would sucks, and if one of us was caught lying, nobody in the group would trust them next time they deny something. That’s a bad move in the long term. So no, I’m not in love with Sugaya - or anyone, for that matter.  
-Waaaah, Rio-chan, you’re breaking my heart !” Kurahashi took an overly dramatic expression. “Were you lying, when you told me you loved me ?  
-Awn, you know me, my heart might be made of stone but not even I could truly resist your charms.” Nakamura replied with a playful tone. This was... confusing to watch, but at least Sugaya was glad they were switching subjects. Bless Kurahashi, ever the best one when it came to turn over the conversation.  
“Okay, I believe you two.” However, once Okajima had an idea, it was hard to get it out of his head. “What about you, Fu-?”

He stopped at the last syllable, his eyes following the young girl’s gaze. Of course, ever the observant one, her detective-like senses had caught something that nobody else noticed.

There was one person that had stayed oddly silent during the whole case. One person that wouldn’t, usually, contain his words when he thought his friends were too nosy or annoying.

Sugaya slowly turned his head to look at the boy next to him. Mimura was tense, paralysed as if being caught doing something truly despicable, his eyes going from face to face, looking at everyone as they finally noticed him. His hands were slightly shaking as they tightened even more on the glass he was holding.

“This,” he stated in a slightly panicked voice, “is a misunderstanding. I just- I took my glass while Okajima was talking- I didn’t think he would - I - I was thinking about something else and - I...” He swallowed his saliva, unable to form a coherent sentence. “I think I forgot to tell my father at which hour I should come home. I. Think I should make a phone call. If you would excuse me.” He talked while getting up in a rush, not even taking time to just put his glass down.

Sugaya would say he was familiar with the way Mimura acted when nervous. His plain face was easy to read, as it would honestly show his emotions. He might be a good movie director, but as for acting he was too easily troubled. There were times when he was surprisingly calm ; times like when the God of Death had kidnapped them and he was able to keep a clear mind to form a plan ; times like when Sugaya had invited him home and when presented to the artist’s parents, he lied with a straight face on how his mother was a housewife and his father an employee, fully aware that Sugaya knew it was the exact opposite. Maybe even times his good friend didn’t even notice. But, on most times, it was just like this, nervously spouting awkward words, his expression showing fully his embarrassment.

He knew Mimura. In that instant, as he was escaping the room, he was clearly lying.

After footsteps were heard descending the stairs, Fuwa broke the silence between them, expressing what they had more of less grasped.

“...He was thinking about drinking his glass, wasn’t he.”

The implications of it were left unsaid, but they all understood.

“And that’s why I said not to make statements on love.” Nakamura seemed like she didn’t know how to handle this mess of a situation. “Of course it would end up like this.  
-I never thought this could happen.” Okajima was mortified. “I mean, that can’t be it- he would have- okay, maybe he wouldn’t have told me, but... I mean... he likes girls !  
-That doesn’t mean he can’t like boys, though ?” Kurahashi blinked, as if it was an obvious fact.

All of this made no sense to Sugaya. He never had considered the idea that someone he was close to might hold this kind of feelings for him. When did this happens ? He and Mimura had grew closer with the months passing, to the point he could say without hesitation that the boy was his best friend. Naturally, their attitude toward each other had changed accordingly - but never Sugaya could have imagined this as anything but... Well, friendship didn’t seem to quite cover it, but some bond that was particular to them. An unique concept.

He needed to know. There was room for interpretation ; maybe this was, indeed, some kind of misunderstanding, something a bit embarrassing to admit that had made Mimura confused in his explanations. Sugaya needed certitude that this was really was everyone was thinking it was.

As for how he should feel if this was indeed, love... He didn’t know.

“You aren’t going to go after him ?” Kurahashi asked innocently.

This was the push he needed to finally deciding to act.

* * *

Thankfully, Mimura wasn’t difficult to find. Sugaya had wondered one moment whether the boy would have ran away from the house, too worried to confront the others about the situation. But he was here, sitting at the bottom of the stairs, lost in thoughts as his eyes were fixated on the blue liquid of his glass. He raised his head as he heard Sugaya approach ; it wasn’t on the level of Fuwa, but he was quite perceptive of his environment.

“Ah, I- I couldn’t join my father, so- I just...  
-No worries, I understand.” 

Mimura’s shoulders seemed to drop slightly. Sugaya saw that as a good sign. Still, as he sat down next to his friend, he was unable to find the words he needed. He wished he had access to his sketchbook and his supplies. Everything would fall down naturally if he could express his doubts with pictures, or at least the familiarity of it -having Mimura by his side as he drew- would ease him enough for him to finally ask. 

“How are they reacting up there ? Is this... bad...?  
-The girls are annoyed by what Okajima did, so it’s not to out of the usual.” Mimura snickered at the comment. “He seems actually sorry though.  
-I see. Well, I hope this won’t blow out of proportions. I’m glad that Korosensei wasn’t there, at least, or I would never hear the end of it.  
-Haha, yes.” The biggest gossiper of the class would just love this kind of scandal, wouldn’t he. “...Say, Mimura...”

The boy looked at Sugaya, a weird look on his face. His eyes seemed to plead him. ‘Please, don’t ask this.’

Unfortunately, he already had made his mind. “...Do you love me ?”

Mimura just sighed. Sugaya wondered if that was all the response he would get, but then, he spoke, slowly, carefully. As if each word out of place would be used against him. “I... don’t dislike you, I guess.”

This could be considered a negative answer. That how much Mimura valued their relation only amounted to this much. Sugaya knew better than this. The other boy choose those words purposely, not denying it nor confirming it, letting the ones listening interpret the meaning without having to outright lie about it. A disguised truth.

“That’s not an answer.  
-...You really won’t let go of this, right ?” Mimura lowered his heads, eyes turned to the floor. It was hard to see his expression like this. “I... I can’t say ‘yes’ to this question. Even if we were in a case where I happened to...” He stopped one instant and took a deep breath. “Even if I loved you, it would be difficult to say it. It could potentially ruin our whole relationship. And that’s not even talking of the others at school.  
-...So it’s a ‘no’, then ?” All those turn of phrases were difficult to process to him. “If you don’t say it clearly, I won’t understand.  
-Now you’re starting to speak like Bitch-sensei. ‘ _Why Japanese men have to say things in such a convoluted way, it’s annoying !’_.” He smiled at the thought, before regaining a sober expression. “Fine. I will say it. But in exchange, I want to ask a favor out of you.  
-What is it ?   
-You have to believe me. Because I will say ‘no’. And, if you start to doubt it, it will be really painful.” Mimura’s tone was calm and firm, but he couldn’t hide a slight trembling in his voice. “Because then you will start to wonder about every little thing I do for you. If I do it because I love you. And I will have to deny it over and over, harsher and stronger each time. I... I can’t do that. _‘I like your smile.’ ‘I want to stay by your side.’ ‘You makes me happy.’_ I don’t want to lie about those things.” His last words were quieter, almost a whisper. “Can you... do that for me ?”

The way the boy looked, huddled on himself, lips tightened in a twisted smile and hand clenched around his glass, really made Sugaya want to comfort him. It hurts to see him like that, in this pathetic state, and to think he was responsible for it. He almost agreed to the offer, just so relieve him of the anxiousness visible in his tense body.

Almost.

It would probably be fine to just accept. Continuing to live pretending to be unaware of the truth. He liked the relationship he currently had. They were able to talk and have fun almost every day, and they supported each other in their respective artistic domains. He could see that continuing for a while. Years, even decades.

On the other hand, acknowledging Mimura’s feelings... That was scary. Sugaya didn’t know how that would change their way of interacting. He didn’t even know how he felt about it. 

But his choice had already been made the moment he had stepped out of the room.

“Sorry. I could tell you ‘yes’, but I think that would be a lie.  
-Ah. I figured that would be the case. We’re both really bad liars, it seems.”

Mimura looked at the glass in his hand, the one that had started the whole drama. He then raised it to his lips and drank the whole thing.

“...It’s disgusting, isn’t it.”

Sugaya somehow got the feeling he wasn’t talking about the drink.

“...I think it’s okay, personally.”

He was actually surprised by how fine he was with the situation. On the moment, he had been worried. That this bond he felt was so special was different from what he imagined. But, seeing the smaller boy so worried about how this could destroy the relationship they already had... He was convinced. Their connection was genuine. That was what mattered the most to him.

“I still need to think on how I feel about love,” he continued, “but, you know ? I don’t dislike you, either.  
-...Thank you.”

They stayed silent for a while after that. On the floor above them, indignant noises could be heard - whatever the rest of the group was doing, it wasn’t in Okajima’s favor. Both of them would eventually have to get up and help their friend. But, for now, they just wanted to appreciate a moment together.


End file.
